Slow

Posted on Fri, 4 Nov 2011 by midcenturyjo

Can’t believe we have been in our new old house for almost a year and it seems like we have barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done. Not that I’m worried. I have come to know this 150 year old house intimately during that time. We are comfortable with each other. If it takes time then it takes time. I took a couple of shots in my living room this morning. The light cutting into the dark chocolate room was beautiful. There are a couple more over on my page with some explanations of (and excuses for) what you can see.

z says:

"If it takes time then it takes time". Love your words! That's life: living with, more than coming to endings. :). Greetings from Argentina

Sparky says:

I've learned that during what appears to be slow time, and living with my space for additional time, I germinate more and better ideas. For example, when I first bought my house five years ago, I had an estimate from a fencing company—$1600 to fence off an area of the driveway to keep the hounds safe. The alternative design I developed after living here for five years and the alternative materials resulted in a far more attractive and versatile solution. And the design was much easier to build than the first idea, so my handyman constructed it. I love looking at this fence versus what the first one would have been. Cost in materials and labor: $400. Win, win, win. ;o)

I love the getting-to-know-you process with a new house, and sudder at some of my early ideas. Than goodness I didn't improve the laundry, when I swapped the entrance and moved it, so much better! How long did it take me to realise that moving my bed so I could see the water from my pillow brought me deep, reliable happiness? Suddenly knowing I needed a dark room to balance all the airy brightness was a lightbulb moment – and it all takes time – at least the full round of seasons.

We moved four months ago and it still looks very rough around here – it always takes us ages to set up! It took us two years to reno our kitchen in our last place. It takes time for ideas to percolate but it's worth it to sift through the so-sos to get to the amazings. In other words, take as long as you have to 🙂 Living through a year of the changing seasons is often helpful before getting into any big projects. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, especially since your living room is so beautiful. We have the same floor tiles (but with a dark grout) and after living my entire life on hardwood floors it's taking some getting used to. I've been longing for light-coloured rugs so thanks for pushing me further in that direction 🙂

midcenturyjo says:

I see I have kindred spirits out there. Perhaps we should embrace the slow movement for our houses like the slow movement for food.

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